Coleus plant named  ‘SAKCOL022’

ABSTRACT

A coleus plant particularly distinguished by small leaves having a pink and dark burgundy inner leaf color and green margins, is disclosed.

Genus and species: Solenostemon sp.

Variety denomination: ‘SAKCOL022’.

BACKGROUND OF THE NEW PLANT

The present invention comprises a new and distinct variety of coleus,botanically known as Solenostemon sp., and hereinafter referred to bythe variety name ‘SAKCOL022’.

‘SAKCOL022’ originated from the open pollination of 8 unpatentedproprietary lines crossed pollinated in October 2014 in Kakegawa, Japan.The breeder put breeding materials ‘14P-202’, ‘14P-203’, ‘14P-205’,‘14P-210’, ‘14P-211’, ‘14P-212’, ‘14F-19’, and ‘14F-20-2’ in a cage.Bees then crossed them at random. The breeder harvested 1,200 seeds from‘14P-211’. These seeds were composed of hybrid seeds and self-pollinatedseeds.

The seeds obtained from the ‘14P-211’ plant were sown and a single plantselection designated ‘L2015-CO372’ was selected for its multi-coloredleaf pattern with a pink and dark burgundy inner leaf color and greenmargins with mounding plant habit with small leaves. The breederconfirmed that ‘L2015-CO372’ was fixed and stable. ‘L2015-CO372’ wassubsequently named ‘SAKCOL022’.

The new plant was first asexually propagated from October 2015 to April2016 in Japan and has been asexually reproduced by vegetative cuttingsfor almost three years in Japan. The present invention has been found toretain its distinctive characteristics through successive asexualpropagations by vegetative cuttings.

‘SAKCOL022’ has not been made publicly available or sold more than oneyear prior to the filing date of this application.

SUMMARY OF THE NEW PLANT

The following are the most outstanding and distinguishingcharacteristics of the new variety when grown under normal horticulturalpractices in Salinas, Calif.

-   -   1. Small leaves; and    -   2. Pink and dark burgundy inner leaf color and green margins.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

This new coleus plant is illustrated by the accompanying photographswhich show the overall plant habit, foliage, and flowers of a plant aged3 months old. The colors are as true as can be reasonably obtained byconventional photographic procedures.

FIG. 1 shows the overall plant habit and foliage.

FIG. 2 shows the overall plant habit and foliage in flower.

FIG. 3 shows a close up of a flowering stalk and foliage.

DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW VARIETY

The following detailed descriptions set forth the distinctivecharacteristics of ‘SAKCOL022’. The data which defines thesecharacteristics were collected from plants grown three months fromtransplant into 4-inch pots from rooted cuttings in Salinas, Calif.,under greenhouse conditions. Color references are to The RoyalHorticultural Society Colour Chart, 4^(th) edition. Anatomic labels arefrom The Cambridge Illustrated Glossary of Botanical Terms, by M. Hickeyand C. King, Cambridge University Press.

-   Classification:    -   -   Family.—Lamiaceae.        -   Botanical name.—Solenostemon sp.        -   Common name.—Coleus.        -   Denomination.—‘SAKCOL022’.-   Plant:    -   -   Type.—Annual.        -   Habit.—Compact.        -   Form.—Compact and dense, 4 main branches.        -   Height.—33.0 cm.        -   Spread.—42.0 cm.        -   Propagation type.—Vegetative cuttings.-   Environmental conditions for plant growth: The terminal 1.0 to 1.5    inches of an actively growing stem was excised. The vegetative    cuttings were propagated for five to six weeks. The base of the    cuttings were dipped for 1 to 2 seconds in a 1:9 solution of Dip 'N    Grow (1 solution: 9 water) root inducing solution immediately prior    to sticking into the cell trays. Cuttings were stuck into plastic    cell trays having 98 cells, and containing a moistened peat    moss-based growing medium. The cuttings were misted with water from    overhead for 10 seconds every 30 minutes until sufficient roots were    formed. Rooted cuttings were transplanted and grown in 20 cm    diameter plastic pots in a glass greenhouse located in Salinas,    Calif. Pots contained a peat moss-based growing medium. Soluble    fertilizer containing 20% nitrogen, 10% phosphorus and 20% potassium    was applied once a day or every other day by overhead irrigation.    Pots were top-dressed with a dry, slow release fertilizer containing    20% nitrogen, 10% phosphorus and 18% potassium. The typical average    air temperature was 24 degrees C.-   Lateral branches:    -   -   Length.—10.0 cm to 18.0 cm.        -   Diameter.—0.7 cm to 1.0 cm.        -   Internode length.—1.0 cm to 1.5 cm.        -   Strength.—Branches separate easily.        -   Aspect.—Long, trailing to semi-trailing.        -   Shape in cross-section.—Circular.        -   Texture.—Dull, very slight pubescent.        -   Pubescence color.—RHS N155A (White).        -   Stem/branch color.—Closest to RHS 145C (Yellow-Green).        -   Flowering branch.—Present, very slight pubescence.-   Leaves:    -   -   Arrangement.—Opposite.        -   Length.—6.8 cm.        -   Width.—3.5 cm.        -   Broadest part of the leaf blade.—Middle.        -   Shape.—Pinnatipartite.        -   Apex.—Caudate.        -   Base.—Acuminate.        -   Margin.—Sinuate.        -   Texture, upper surface.—Dull, very slight pubescence.        -   Texture, lower surface.—Glabrous with pronounced venation.        -   Venation pattern.—Pinnate.        -   Vein color, upper surface.—RHS N186A (Greyed-Purple).        -   Vein color, lower surface.—Closest to RHS 196A            (Greyed-Purple).        -   Petiole length.—3.4 cm.        -   Petiole diameter.—2.0 mm.        -   Petiole color.—Closest to but lighter than RHS 1C            (Green-Yellow) with RHS 59A towards leaf base.        -   Petiole texture.—Very slight pubescent.        -   Variegation.—Present.        -   Leaf color.—Multicolored, hot pink at center with dark            maroon towards leaf margin, and green at margin. Upper            surface: RHS 59B (Red-Purple) with closest to but darker            than RHS 200A (Brown) increasing towards margin RHS 143A            (Green) at margin. Lower surface: RHS 138B (Green) with            blotches of RHS 61A (Red-Purple) increasing towards midpoint            with very slight RHS 159D (Orange-White) close to venation            and very small blotches of RHS 187A (Greyed-Purple)            throughout.-   Flowers: Terminal flower stalk observed having multiple buds and    forming a cone shape.    -   -   Stalk length.—9.5 cm.        -   Stalk diameter.—3.5 cm.        -   Stalk color.—Closest to RHS 144B (Yellow-Green).        -   Flower color.—RHS 93B (Violet-Blue) with RHS N155A (White)            at base.-   Temperature tolerance: 2 degrees C. to 35 degrees C.-   Disease or insect resistance: No disease or insect resistance    observed.

COMPARISON WITH PARENTAL LINES AND KNOWN VARIETY

‘SAKCOL022’ is a new and distinct cultivar of coleus owning to itsunique multicolored leaf pattern and mounding plant habit and smallleaves. It is distinguished from its parents as described in Table 1below.

TABLE 1 Comparison with Parental Lines Leaf color Leaf size Parentallines ‘14P-202’ Brown Extremely small ‘14P-203’ Rose and green Extremelysmall ‘14P-205’ Brown Extremely small ‘14P-210’ Rose and brown Small‘14P-211’ Rose and green Small ‘14P-212 Rose, brown and green Large‘14F-19’ Dark brown and green Medium ‘14F-20-2’ Rose, brown and greenExtremely large Comparison ‘SAKCOL022’ RHS 59B (Red-Purple) withExtremely small closest to but darker than Length: 6.8 cm RHA 200A(Brown) Width: 3.5 cm increasing towards margin, RHS 143A (Green) LeafLeaf Plant shape margin habit Parental lines ‘14P-202’ Orbicular CrenateCreeping ‘14P-203’ Orbicular Crenate Creeping ‘14P-205’ OrbicularCrenate Creeping ‘14P-210’ Ellipse Serrate Mounding ‘14P-211’ EllipseSerrate Mounding ‘14P-212 Ovate Crenate Erect ‘14F-19’ Ovate CrenateErect ‘14F-20-2’ Orbicular Crenate Erect Comparison ‘SAKCOL022’Pinnatipartite Sinuate Mounding

‘SAKCOL022’ is most similar to the commercial variety PARTY TIME ‘PinkBerry’, also known as ‘SAKCOL018’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 28,823), however,there are differences as listed in Table 2 below.

TABLE 2 Comparison with Similar Variety Charac- teristic ‘SAKCOL022’‘PARTY TIME ‘Pink Berry’ Leaf color, RHS 59B (Red-Purple) Closest to RHS59C (Red- upper with closest to but darker Purple) with blotches closestsurface than RHS 200A (Brown) to RHS 200A (Black) with increasingtowards slight RHS 147A (Green) margin RHS 143A increasing towardsmargin, (Green) at margin and RHS 143A (Yellow- Green) at leaf margin.Leaf color, RHS 138B (Green) with Closest to RHS147B lower blotches ofRHS 61A (Yellow-Green) with surface (Red-Purple) increasing blotches ofRHS 59A (Red- towards midpoint with Purple) towards mid vein very slightRHS 159D with most mature foliage (Orange-White) close to having ablotch closest to venation and very small RHS 27A (Orange) at baseblotches of RHS 187A (Greyed-Purple) throughout Plant growth Compact,Mounding Compact, Semi-creeping habit

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct variety of coleus plant named ‘SAKCOL022’as illustrated and described herein.